As one door shuts for auto supplier Rob Rodriguez, another one opens

Photos by Paul L. Newby II | The Grand Rapids PressRob Rodriguez sits on top of the conveyor system his company, Alternative Engineering Inc., built for a Pontiac plant in Ohio. The job was canceled after General Motors decided to drop that brand.

On the day Chrysler LLC sank into bankruptcy, one Grand Rapids auto supplier was bubbling with excitement about new orders.

No, certainly not the orange conveyer system once destined for a Pontiac plant in Ohio and still sitting, unpaid for, on his factory floor. That order, like others, was canceled as the auto industry tumbled into bailout hell.

Instead, Rob Rodriguez, owner of Alternative Engineering Inc., 1642 Broadway Ave. NW, believes he has found a way to diversify.

He found the key, far removed from combustible engines and tailpipe emissions, behind the door, literally.

He calls his invention the Door Organizer. It's an "a la carte" kit of adjustable, metal shelves that hang on the back of a door in your garage, laundry room, kitchen, bedroom or crafts shop.

"We came up with this in six weeks," the 46-year-old engineer said as he showed off his just-finished sample.

The idea came after his wife, Shari, asked him to design shelving for the home they bought last summer.

"Everyone enters their home with no place to store their purse, keys, MP3 players, cell phones, cameras, and most of those items end up on the kitchen counter," he said.

The bins, in an assortment of sizes and shapes, solve the problem.

Based on his drawings, his team quickly designed and manufactured aluminum frames and sheet-metal bins, powder-coated in bright colors.

Rob Rodriguez shows off the display rack for his new Door Organizer, an over-the-door frame with metal storage bins created and manufacturered at his Grand Rapids business, Alternative Engineering Inc., in hopes of diversifying away from the auto industry.

He insisted ingredients be from Michigan, except the bungie cord straps that he could only find in California. "It's all made in the USA," he declared as he twirled a display rack he was about to truck to Novi for the International Women's Expo, where the system debuted last week.

There, he expected to test market the product he says is simpler to assemble, more flexible, durable and versatile than plastic systems.

A chance to make it

If the product line takes off, his company may be a survivor amid a growing number of casualties in the auto supply industry.

It is an uphill battle. Half of all auto suppliers are expected to close in the next three years because of the shrinking industry, estimates Southfield consultants Plante & Moran.

For a long time, Rodriguez avoided the sting of the industry's plummeting sales.

A former engineer at the General Motors stamping plant on 36th Street SW, he went on to be a sales rep and then designer of auto-manufacturing equipment.

He realized he could handle the production work himself. Three years ago, his company began designing and manufacturing the huge conveyor systems that flip, rotate or glide auto parts down an assembly line.

The Big Three and their suppliers became his customers.

"We grew every month until Christmas," he said. At its peak, his work force numbered 25. "We were on top of the world.

"I never in a million years would have dreamed GM and Chrysler would be in this position."

His production fell to 25 percent of capacity, and he was forced to lay off most of his workers. "Things were horrific. I'd come in every day and ask (the bookkeeper) how much money do we have left?"

The scrappy entrepreneur knew he had to drum up business. "Everyone is trying for solar jobs," he said, so bidding was cut-throat. He landed a project order and is waiting for some in other fields.

Idea takes off

In March, the idea for his Door Organizer emerged as he doodled on a plane trip. He was ready for the expo in a matter of weeks.

Going to the show, a last-minute idea, turned out to be the right move. "We had a mob in our booth over 50 percent of the time, and won first prize for . . . best new product reception," Rodriguez said in an e-mail.

He went to the show without a firm price but settled on $80 to $100, depending on configuration of shelves. "One customer even purchased eight units, four for her needs and four as gifts."

Now, he is negotiating with distributors and hopes to get into big-box stores such as Home Depot. He also may set up an Internet site.

He's not giving up on the conveyor business, but he doesn't see himself ever being strictly automotive again.

His organizer has lots of potential, he believes, because he can find customers in every walk of life anywhere in the country. Who doesn't need more storage?